Samsung Refrig needs to be reset after any power outage HELP!

teddysmithAugust 3, 2009

Hi all,

We have a 28 CF samsung frig that is (has) been driving us nuts. The frig is about 5 years old. Wonderful frig but when ever we have a 5 second or longer power outage (not uncommon in No Utah) the unit kicks off and we have to hold the two upper buttons for 5 seconds or so to reset. We have gone through a couple of frig and freezer "throw aways" and it's quite costly. We have to remember to reset and if we're out of town we are SOL. Is this normal?

Thanks very much Doug. Your solution certainly makes sense. We actually had the logic board replaced the first time this happened. We darn near bought a new fridge not knowing that the fridge could be manually reset. Based on this, I'm ruling out the board. I contacted a samsung rep regarding the issue as well as the possibility of the back up battery being bad. It appears the unit (Model RS2533SW)is not equipped with a battery. Or so I was told. Below is the transcript of my live chat:

Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Nathan T'

Nathan T: Hello, I am a Samsung Technical Support representative. How may I assist you today?

Jim: I have a samgung frigde model rs2533sw. Whenever we have a power outage, the fridge turns off and we have to manually reset. Need help.

Nathan T: Did you try to adjust the temperature settings and check it?

Jim: That's not the issue. If we have a 5 second power outage, the temperature control panel goes blank and stops cooling. There is a blinking light only. We have to hold the two top buttons for a few seconds to get it to kick back on. We have lost several freezer loads of food. Does this model have a backup battery that may need replacement? Thanks

Nathan T: When returning from a power outage or brownout, the unit may power up properly but the display will show the actual temperature instead of the factory default set temperatures.

Nathan T: In this case, set the refrigerator to Power Cool and Power Freeze modes until the unit returns to the desired operating temperature.

Jim: Unit does not "return" form a power outage. After a power outage there is no display at all.

Nathan T: It appears that something else with the refrigerator might be causing the problem.

Nathan T: Unfortunately the refrigerator needs to be examined by a professional service technician to get it serviced to fix the issue.

Nathan T: Would you like me to send you the link to fill out an online service request?

Jim: No thanks. Can you tell me if this unit has a "back up battery" installed?

Nathan T: No, the unit does not have a back up battery.

Jim: Thanks for your help!

Nathan T: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?

It appears to me that when the fridge powers up, it does a self diagnostic, and the number of bars (or the n'th) blinking bar - indicates the problem. If there's a problem then it won't start (not too smart).

From doing a google search, it looked like a lot of people had problems with the icemaker, and that was holding the fridge in this 'unready state.'

Thanks Doug that was very informative. Going back to that original thread, I think all the guy had to do was hold the two top buttons for 5 seconds and he could have reset manually, like I can. Anyway, it looks like the ice maker and sensors must be in working order or the frige will not reset itself after a surge or outage.
That thread woke me up. About two years ago, we had trouble with the ice maker and had to turn off the water supply and unhook the wires to the lower unit that hold and dispenses the ice. All that remains is the upper portion of the icemake. Reading the thread and others, it appears that the controls for the whole fridge run through the icemake assembly. I believe my troubles started (auto reset) when I removed and unpluged the lower portion. I tried connecting the two wires but no luck. I unplugged the frige for 15 seconds and plugged back in and it would not reset itself. Had to do the manual thing. Looks like I need to purchase a new Ice maker.

I have the Samsung RM255LASH. I have had to reboot it a couple of times by flicking the Power switch outside. I called a repair man who told me that little power surges can cause problems like the temp suddenly getting really warm and defrosting everything. He suggested plugging it into a power surge protector.

Do not buy this refrigerator! We had our icemaker replaced under warranty, and now needs to be replaced again (4 years old). It also has now started leaking water onto our wood floor. We are ditching this and looking for another model. This was an expensive purchase, and is a huge disappointment.

I have the same problem with the power going out and you have to reset the fridge to come back on. Called samsung and it is in "demo mode" and there is no way around it. I ve been on vacation several times only to come home to my ice cream melted all over my hard ood floor! Luckily I bought it at Costco (best place ever!) And they are taking it back (4 yrs later).

If you have Power Freeze and Power Cool buttons on your control panel..press and hold them simultaneously for 10 seconds. This will cycle the whole system through a reset sequence.

After the reset - manually set the temperatures for the freezer and refrigerator - even if they have the default temp setting displayed...continuously press the Freezer Temp and Fridge Temp until you cycle through the temps and arrive at the desired temperature setting.

Now wait. The fridge temp will likely drop faster than the freezer - but be patient!

This will save you TONS in needless repair costs. And if it works you can send a portion of your savings to me! ;)

Unplug fridge. Press and hold Power Free and Power Cool at same time (steady now). Plug in the fridge. Keep holding the buttons down until the temps appear (about 5-10 seconds). Your fridge can now operate normally without an ice machine.

Thanks to piece_o_people
We moved the weekend and fridge would not switch on, just one flashing line(had something similar six months ago after a lightning strike, some electronics were fried. The Samsung agent couldn't fix it, got a generic repair agent to sort it out).

Today, the first time I did the reset, I held the buttons too long and it went to flashing and beeping. Re-did it, holding the buttons until numbers came up, working perfectly now.

Thank you so much for posting this about your Samsung Refrigerator. I had the same problem and called Samsung, I got the same type of response you did,they sort of skated around my question. I guess they don't know the answer or because it was not under warranty they wanted a service call. Again thanks so much.